As a blogger, I have opportunities to join forces with companies in both the food and supplement industry. I’m very selective about the products I share on my blog and use in my life. I was thrilled last week to attend the NOW Foods Ambassador event in Chicago. There is so much I want to share with you all and an awesome giveaway too!

Let’s start with a little history of NOW Foods. In 1968, NOW Foods was founded under the belief that good health was not a luxury available only to the wealthy. For the past forty-five years, we have made it our life’s work to offer health food and nutritional supplements of the highest quality, at prices that are fair and affordable to all those who seek them.

Today, NOW Foods is one of the top-selling brands in health foods stores, an award-winning manufacturer, a respected advocate of the natural product industry, and a leader in the fields of nutritional science and methods development. And while we have grown considerably over the past four decades, one thing has never changed – our commitment to providing products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.[Read more…]

I was thinking about how long it’s been since I went vegetarian and then vegan. I became a vegetarian 3 years ago and one month. It was shortly after that, about 5 months, that I realized dairy was wreaking havoc with my stomach. My husband suggested I tested out removing it. Once I did, it was the most enormous change in the way I felt. The way I preformed. The way I looked. But my next big question was… how do I train on a vegan diet? How would I get enough protein to rebuild muscles and turn them over fast enough for training. I’m not a fan of processed foods. I avoid ingredients I cannot identify. So I turned to my running friends/advisors that help me all the time and they all suggested Vega. I made a few connections and my journey with Vega Team began there.

I train 6 days a week. Strength. Running. Cycling. I have trained for my second full marathon completely fueled by a vegan diet in March with over an hour personal record. Training now for something larger. I eat completely plant-based with my fitness fuel all from Vega Sport exclusively. Now I’m running about 40-45 miles per week. Strength training 2-3 times per week. Cycle once per week with my husband. It’s relentless but I love it.[Read more…]

I wanted to demonstrate another feature of the Magimix food processor that I’m giving away next Sunday. Today I thinly sliced yellow and green zucchini that I will sauté in sesame oil right before dinner.

I’ll take you on a photo by photo how-to. This machine was literally thinly slicing without me even having to push the veggie through the spout. It’s incredibly powerful! Slices like a dream. Took me about 15 seconds to slice up 4 medium zucchinis! Take about efficient!

First, I used the larger bowl no blade in the bottom.

Next, you’re going to add the long tubal piece to elevate the blade that will slice the zucchini. This piece gets placed right in the center and fits perfectly.

Then select the slicer blade that you wish to use. I used this one to create paper thin zucchini slices for a light salad sautéed in sesame oil and topped with some sesame seeds right before dinner. It fits nicely right over the extension rod you added previously.

Place the lid on top and turn until it locks.

Next step, place the plastic insert into the top.

Then place the zucchini into the opening. It started slicing without me even using the plunger to push it down towards the blade. Talk about fast!

Quick and efficient. Love that! Uniform slicing at it’s finest.

When I’m ready to cook, I’ll add a tablespoon of olive oil and a drizzle of sesame oil to a hot pan, toss the zucchini in for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with toasted sesame seeds. Can serve hot or at room temperature.